BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
National Disaster Operations Committee (NDOC), under the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), has activated its 28-day immediate response plan to respond to schools impacted by Tropical Cyclone Maila.
NDOC is a body established by the MEHRD in association with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECCDM).
Speaking during the MEHRD’s Podcast programme, Judith Pule of MEHRD said that the education sector’s 28-day immediate response plan was endorsed and approved by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.
She said that updated information from Western Province assessment teams have already been received, and further updates are expected from Choiseul and other provinces as field assessments are completed.
Ms Pule said that schools in Isabel are reported to be generally well, while Guadalcanal and Central Province continues with assessments in affected locations.
She said that information shows that several schools in the Western and Choiseul provinces were critically affected.
She adds that the report identifies 13 critically affected schools with a total of 1,332 students.
Damage includes destroyed classrooms, damaged dormitories, staff houses, ruined ablution blocks, and some schools are being used as evacuation centres.
Ms Pule said that the schools identified include Nusa Simbo Primary, Rengana Community High School, Tuku Primary, Buri Community High School, Sindoko Community High School, Keara Primary, Saevuke Primary, Gundu Primary, Kolomali Primary, Leona ECE, Sasamunga ECE, Sangigai ECE, and Sangigai Primary.
She said that immediate support required include tents, tarpaulins, learning resources, psychosocial support, and technical assessments for damaged infrastructure.
She said that progress has already been made since the first batch of teaching and learning materials were dispatched to Western Province on Tuesday, 21 April.
She said that MEHRD is working with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affair and Trade (DFAT) to engage civil engineers under the SET program to conduct detailed assessments to inform decisions on the next phase of recovery or rehabilitation planning.
She said that the Ministry acknowledges the support from development partners such as DFAT, MFAT, and UNICEF.
She said that UNICEF is supporting wash-related needs and emergency supplies, and Save the Children Australia is supporting psychosocial support, student well-being, temporary learning spaces, and child-friendly spaces.
“We ask schools, education providers, and provincial teams to provide accurate information so that no affected schools are overlooked,” Ms Pule said.
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